The NBA is preparing to move from LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant as the faces of the NBA, with one potential candidate being overlooked.
The NBA is a superstar-led league, and for over 20 years the association has been able to turn to LeBron James. He is probably the most marketable player of all time, but he is 40 years old.
He, along with Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, is approaching the end of their careers, prompting debates about who will take over as “the face of the NBA” once these three legends are no longer carrying the torch.
Jason Tatum, Shy Gilgauss Alexander, Luka Donsic, Victor Wenbanyama and Anthony Edwards are expected to find headlines for the next generation of NBA basketball, but one high-level player could be overlooked and plays in the postseason.
Despite the unfortunate team season in which Orlando’s magic was plagued by injuries and landed only the seventh species of the Eastern Conference Postseason, Paolo Bancello is one of the best young players in the NBA. Last season, he led the magic to the fifth seed, earning his first All-Star nod.
This season, he was limited to just 46 games, but recorded a career-high 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
He certainly meets the criteria that will become the league face if he continues to rise and is 22 years old.
“One of the things I wanted to touch on was to continue the conversation with Paolo about the face of the league and who will become American players,” Matt Burns said.
“We have great people behind the scenes of their careers in Steph, KD and LeBron. His name hasn’t been thrown away, but he was absolutely incredible. Is he averaged?
While magic has a talented, deep young roster, the Buncello is easily the highlight they’re building up and the face of one of the more exciting on-the-team teams in the NBA.
“More than anything, obviously they’ll be beaten by Boston in the first round,” predicted Burns. “I’m a huge Paolo fan. He’s definitely going to have to be involved in the league’s face conversations in the next three or five years.”
Despite a clear first round exit looming, the magic will be a postseason fixture for the coming years.
As basketball becomes a global sport, it is no secret that the NBA will benefit from foreign talent, but the “face of the league” has always been American. There’s no really good reason why Doncic, Wembanyma, or Gilgeous-Alexander can’t take the torch, but the majority of NBA fans are in the US. During international competitions, fans want to cheer on both the country and their favorite players.
Other American players over the age of 25 are Edwards, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Lamelo Ball. But Edwards and Williamson have a well-documented history as images of women that may be bad for women, which may be bad for women. Morant has been suspended multiple times due to gun-related incidents and Ball simply has no media training, which often leads to unnecessary explicit quotes being dropped during interviews.
Bancello, on the other hand, appears to be OK with clean cuts, a product of the NCAA, allowing him to promote the league during the March madness, a professional who was overlooked by his favor, even if James didn’t go to college.
There are certainly talented players, but the Banchelo seems like a safe choice for the league to focus marketing over the long term.